Roughage cutter and litter disposal device



M. L. SENSENIG Afig. 19, 1947.

ROUGHAGE CUTTER AND LITTER DISPOSAL DEVICE Filed May 3, 1945 2 sheets sheet l 'llllm Aug. 19, 1947.

M. L. SENSENIG 2,426,059

ROUGHAGE CUTTER AND LITTER DISPOSAL DEVICE '2 Sheets-Sheet '2 Filed May 5, 1945 Patented Aug 19, 194? 2 426 059 STATES I OFFICE RQUGHAGE CUTTER AND LITTER DISLOSAL DEVICE Miles lL. Sensenig, Lancaster, lPa., assignor to Dellinger Manufacturing Company, Lancaster, Pa, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application May 3, 1945, Serial No. 591,663

Claims. (Cl. ids-107) This invention relates to litter disposal devices In the accompanying drawings: or means for use primarily on straw and feed cut- Figure 1 represents a Side elevation of t pa t ters or choppers or ensilage machines although of such an ensilage cutter adjacent the cutter not necessarily limited to such fields of use. and blow housing with a litter disp sal ea s em- The primary objects of the present invention 5 bodying my invention applied thereto; are to provide simple, efficient and certain means Figure a Sectional View through Such P for receiving and collecting the litter as it drops tion of such ensilage Cutter and tter spo l between a conveyer belt or feed table and a feed means taken on the line 2-2 of Fi 3 With the roll or other feed mean or bet i feed cutter and blower disc, the feed rolls, the conveyer means and some other part and for conveying 1 feed apron and its roller 01' pul ey, d the or directing it as it falls from one portion of the litter c nveyer cone and p e ea -S shown in receiving hopper or pan to another portion thereelevation and lookin in t e d rection of the arof and positively expelling it from said latter rows;

portion into the chopper and evacuating hous- Figure 3, a Sectional w On the e 33 of ing from which it is evacuated along with the Fig-2,100kingin t ectio 0f e arrows, With ensilage or other out or chopped material; to prot lower P f the IOWBI feed roll, the t er vide a construction which will guard against such cohveyer 00118 and pa e ea s or element 06- litter being blown back out of the receiving hop ing Wn in elevation as is also the Shaft M with per or pan to fill the air with dust and form an s gs l3 and the driven sprocket II or said objectionable pile of dusty material on the floor t;

or about the engilage cutter or chgpper with r Figure 4, a side elevation of said element and sultant unpleasant and unhealthy working conits Shaft;

ditions for the ensilage machine or cutter or Figure an e d elevation thereof; a chopper operators; to provide a disposal device Figure 6, an ed e e t o a right a es to or means which will expel as it collects the litter 5 the elevation shown in Figure from the receiving hopper or pan into a suction Referring 1flow in detail to the drawings, A zone of an exhausting device; to provide a disdesignates a main drive p y t b i e y posal means which Will efficiently handle the lita belt, not Shown, in turn driven y y Suitable ter from any and all green, dry, short, long, light means such as a tractor, not shown, said pulley or heavy forage or roughage materials or other A being mounted upon a Shaft B for rotation materials being operated upon; and to provide therewith to rotate the combined cutter and exmeans for regulating the size of the opening from httust fan disc F secured to a Shaft B to rotate the disposal device into the eXhauster means in therewith in the housing C from which the F3111? accordance with the speed of operation of the chopped material is delivered exhaustedcutter or chopper and the nature of the material through the usual delivery h hOt Shownbeing perated upon Suitable cutter blades 1 and fan blades 01' It has been found that in ensilage and other (hes G are mounted 1113011 Carried y the dish cutters or choppers employing a feed apron or F as usualsome other suitable feeding means that there will be a certain amount of the material broken intogt v secured to the frame, D and in addition to drivsmall particles or shredded or reduced almost to ihg the cutter and exhaust disc F as mentioned, a powder and which W111 f ll between the end it also serves to drive through suitable shafting of the feed or conveyer apron and the lower feed and gearing not shown, the Shaft N d roll, or between the lower f ed roll and the cutr Wheel M, whichlheshes With gear wheeth keyed her bar and be deposited on the fl or ground 4 to shaft K and the drive sprocket wheel [0 keyed in a pile with some of it being blown about as it to the shaft N as to turn therewith but oh falls and other portions of it being picked up the end Portion of Shaft N distant from gettt from the pile by the action of the exhaust fan Wheel g and other moving parts of the machine to satu- A spt'ocket Wheel 1 is keyed to shaft K to t rate the air around the machine with the litter therewlth and an endless band sprocket chain 6 passing around sprocket wheel I and driven du t uc l s to s h extent as to make the Condltlons of thereby passes around suitable idler sprocket work for the machine operators needlessly unpleasant and objectionable from a health stand- 2 553 gg ig gg i g gfi ig ggg gg figasg point, and this is particularly so in connection shaft P and movable axis upper Shaft R to with that type of ensilage cutter or straw choptate the lowei. feed roll 0 and the uppr feed per which employs a cutter disc equipped with roll Q respectively keyed to the shafts P and R n u t ad s or pad to function both in opposite directions as indicated b the arrows as a cutter and blower, and my present invention in Fig. 2.

is particularly directed to the curing of this diffi- The shaft B may rise and fall in the arcuate culty 1n cutters or choppers of this type. slots S in the sides E of the cutter box in accord- Said shaft B is mounted in suitable bearings ance with variations in the thickness of the layer of material being fed.

The endless conveyor belt or feed table I travels in the direction shown by the arrow in Figure 2, being driven by the roller J which is driven by gear M and gear L to rotate in the same direction as lower feed roll and oppositely to shaft N, gear M and drive sprocket III.

The direction of movement of the parts may be reversed by shift lever H connected to control rod 72. and control means, not shown, associated with the latter.

A tension rod X mounted on the frame D and supporting an arm, not shown, carrying a tension idler, not shown, serves to maintain the feed roll drive chain 6 under proper tension.

A supplementary upper feed roll is mounted to rotate about the axis of a shaft V extending through slots W in the sides E of the cutter box, said shaft being provided with bearing sleeves'v in which it rotates, said collars resting upon the bottom edges of the slots W when said shaft V is in its lowest position.

With the exception of the sprocket wheel It], all of the parts above mentioned and their relationships are shown and briefly referred to as above simply to give a clear exposition of the setting or background of my invention or a clear exposition of one form of machine to which my invention is to be applied, and it is preferred that my present invention be driven through suitable drive connections from a part of the machine driven 'by the main drive shaft.

The front face of the housing 0, that is the face presented toward the feed rolls 0 and Q is formed with an intake opening I9 for the litter, which may be covered in varying degrees by a slide I8 suitably guided and adjustable in position to vary the operative area of the opening I9 to suit the speed of operation and the nature of the material being operated upon, the opening I9 being so located in the wall or face of the housing C with relation to the axis thereof and of the cutter and blower disc F and the size and radial location thereon of the blower blades or paddles G as to lie radially inward of the blower zone of the fan and to be disposed entirely within the suction zone of the fan, so that all material discharged through said opening I9 into the housing C will be sucked into said housing C and not blown forward and out of the machine by a blast of air blowing out of said opening I9.

A suitable hopper or pan I having a front, bottom and sides of unbroken area, and with slightly rearwardly and downwardly inclined front and bottom walls is suitably secured, as by being bolted to the frame D in such position as to make a tight joint by its rear side and bottom edges with the front face of the casing C from a point below the lower wall of the opening I9 to. a point well above the top wall thereof and has its top preferably entirely open and disposed directly beneath the stationary cutter bar d, the lower feed roll 0 and a portion of the rear roller or drive roller J of the traveling apron or conveyer I so as to receive litter dropping by gravity between the conveyer or traveling apron I as it passes around the roller J and the lower feed roll 0 and between the lower feed roll 0 and the stationary cutter bar d, the upper portion of the front wall preferably extending forward to such extent that its rear or inner face lies in a vertical plane close to or substantially intersectingthe axis of the drive roller J.

Within bearings l3 mounted or secured in any suitable manner in the end walls of the hopper I5 is journaled a shaft I4, which is rotated in the same direction as shaft N and oppositely to the lower feed roll 0 by means of any suitable drive connections, which may take the form of a drive sprocket I0 keyed to the end portion of the shaft N distant from the gear M, a corresponding driven sprocket wheel II keyed to the corresponding end portion of the shaft I4 extending to the same side of and beyond the corresponding end of hopper I5 and an endless band sprocket chain I2 trained around the sprocket wheels I0 and II to drive the latter from the former.

Keyed or otherwise mounted on the shaft I4 to turn therewith and disposed wholly within the hopper I5 is a composite deflector or collector and kicker or expeller element comprised of a preferably cone shape member I6 disposed on that portion of the shaft I4 extending from adjacent that end of the hopper I5 located at or adjacent to the periphery of the housing C substantially to the adjacent end wall of the litter intake opening I9, with the base of the cone located closely adjacent said end wall of the hopper I5 and with the taper of the cone I6 presented toward the opening I9, and a paddle or kicker member I'I extending axially of the shaft I4 and preferably being parallel or substantially parallel thereto in an axial direction at all points radially of said shaft, the said paddle member I! extending lengthwise preferably for the full length of said cone portion or element or member I6, plus substantially the full length of the litter intake opening I9, the inclined face of said cone member I6 serving to divert such of the litter as may fall upon it toward the location of the opening I9 where it is positively kicked through said opening by the paddle member II, the radially outer edges of which extend parallel to the axis of the shaft I4 and act or function as a sweep or scraper, as distinguished from a curvilinear screw which tends to act as a screw or auger and with some kinds of roughage has a tendency to wind the roughage around it and to form a mass that builds up until the parts bind and the apparatus becomes definitely choked.

While the relative proportions of the cone member I6 and the paddle member H are preferred they are not vital and these proportions may be varied within reasonable limits, also while it is preferred that the cone member I6 shall be of true cone form as shown and not either convex or concave in an axial direction, even slightly, this is not of vital importance so long as the form and construction are such that the member I6 functions to divert or direct the litter material falling on it toward the uninterrupted portion of the paddle I! and the litter inlet opening I9.

It is important that the radial edges of the paddle member I'I shall lie substantially paralcutter and blower housing with a wall formed with a litter inlet opening, said device comprising a hopper having an open top and rear and front, bottom and end walls of unbroken area, and means for securing said hopper in operative position on said roughage cutter with the rear edges of the bottom and end walls of said hopper in tight substantially sealing engagement with the opposed face of said housing and enclosing the litter inlet opening in said housing wall and with its open top disposed closely beneath a feed means for said roughage cutter to receive litter dropping through and between said feed means and adjacent parts of the roughage cutter, in combination with a shaft extending lengthwise of said hopper and j ournaled in the end walls thereof, means keyed to the end of said shaft to be driven to rotate the latter, means for driving said driven means, and a composite litter deflector and expeller element secured to said shaft to turn therewith and comprising a cone member extending from one end of said element to a point adjacent the adjacent end wall of said opening and tapering from said end toward said opening, and a paddle member of uniform width corresponding to the diameter of the base of said cone and extending from end to end of said element and having its radial edges extending axially substantially parallel to the axis of said shaft.

2. A litter disposal device to be applied to a roughage cutter, said roughage cutter having a cutter and blower housing with a wall formed with a litter inlet opening, said device comprising a hopper having an open top and rear and front, bottom and end walls of unbroken area, and means for securing said hopper in operative position on said roughage cutter with the rear edges of the bottom and end walls of said hopper in tight engagement with the opposed face of said housing and enclosing said opening in said housing wall and with its open top disposed closely beneath a feed means for said roughage cutter to receive litter dropping through and between said feed means and adjacent parts of the roughage cutter, in combination with a composite litter deflector and expeller element journaled in the end walls of said hopper and comprising a cone member extending from adjacent one end wall of said hopper to a point adjacent the adjacent end wall of said opening and a paddle member of uniform width corresponding to the diameter'of the base of said cone and extending from adjacent the apex of said cone across said opening and having its radial edges extending axially substantially parallel to the axis of said element, and means for rotating said element.

3. A litter disposal device to be applied to a roughage cutter, said roughage cutter having a cutter and blower housing with a wall formed with a litter inlet opening, said device comprising a hopper having an open top and rear and front, bottom and end Walls of unbroken area, and means for securing said hopper in operative position on said roughage cutter with the rear edges of the bottom and end walls of said hopper in tight engagement with the opposed face of said housing and enclosing said opening in said housing wall and with its open top disposed closely beneath a feed means for said roughage cutter to receive litter dropping through and between said feed means and adjacent parts of the roughage cutter, in combination with a composite litter deflector and expeller element journaled in the end walls of said hopper and comprising a cone member with its cone face presented toward said opening and extending from adjacent an end wall of said hopper to a point adjacent the adjacent end wall of said opening, and a paddle member extending from adjacent the apex of said cone across a portion of said opening and having its radial edges extending axially substantially parallel to the axis of said element, and means for rotating said element.

4. A roughage cutter having a cutter housing, a cutter operating in said housing, means for evacuating cut material from said housing, and means for feeding material into said housing to be operated upon by said cutter, said housing having a front wall presented toward said feeding means and formed with a litter inlet opening, in combination with a hopper formed with an open top and rear and having front, bottom and end walls of unbroken area, means for securing said hopper in fixed position with the rear edges of the bottom and end walls of said hopper in contact with said housing wall and disposed about said opening and with the top of said hopper disposed beneath said feeding means in such position as to receive litter dropping from said feed means and adjacent parts, a deflector and expeller element journaled for rotation in the ends of said hopper and comprising a cone member tapering from adjacent one end of said hopper toward said housing opening, and a paddle member of uniform width corresponding to the diameter of the base of said cone member and extending from adjacent one end of said hopper to adjacent the other end thereof and across a portion of said opening and having radial edges extending axially substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of said element, and means for rotating said element.

5. A roughage cutter having a cutting means, a housing receiving the material as cut by said cutting means, means for evacuating cut material from said housing, means for feeding material into said cutting means, and means for driving all of said foregoing means, said housing having a wall presented toward said feed means and formed with a litter inlet opening, in combination with a hopper formed with an open top and rear and having front, bottom and end walls of unbroken area, means for securing said hopper in fixed position with the rear edges of the bottom and end walls of said hopper in contact with said housing wall and disposed about said opening and with the open top of said hopper disposed beneath said feeding means in such position as to receive litter dropping from said feeding means and adjacent parts, a deflector and expeller element journaled for rotation in the ends of said hopper and comprising a cone member tapering from adjacent one end of said hopper toward said opening and a paddle member extending from adjacent the apex of said cone member across a portion of said opening, and means driven by said driving means for rotating said element.

MILES L. SENSENIG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,569,399 Schindler Jan. 12, 1926 2,004,753 Gredell June 11, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 104,891 Germany Aug. 22, 1899 

